The representative of PASOK and party secretary Yannis Vardakastanis addressed the 16th Congress of New Democracy.
As he said, “uncertainty in the economy, great social inequalities, the energy and climate challenge, migration flows, demography, as well as the profound changes brought by technology and the new era of artificial intelligence create an environment that requires seriousness, political maturity and meaningful dialogue“.
According to Mr Vardakastanis, in the face of these challenges, political parties’ conferences must go beyond their obvious differences and when they function as living laboratories of democracy, spaces where different views are expressed, concerns are recorded, ideas are tested and policies are formulated that respond to the needs of society.
Mr Vardakastanis said that the congresses of political parties must go beyond their obvious differences and when they function as living laboratories of democracy, spaces where different views are expressed, concerns are recorded, ideas are tested and policies are formulated that respond to the needs of society.
Mr. Vardakastanis also said that with the quality of the functioning of the parties, internal democracy, the possibility of free expression of cadres and members, the inclusive synthesis of views and the effective participation of citizens in shaping political choices are critical prerequisites for a strong political system.
“We all have a duty to defend political culture, institutional seriousness and fruitful public dialogue,” he said. He concluded by saying that the country’s major challenges are not faced with slogans, with toxicity, with personal attacks on the opponent’s ethos, but with transparency and democratic accountability.He said that from the perspective of PASOK – Movement for Change there is faith in the need for programmatic conflicts with political content.
In his turn, Representative of SYRIZA, Theophilos Xanthopoulos in his address said that the political differences between his party and New Democracy are clear and the confrontations are fierce, but always within the framework of parliamentary dialogue. “Without parties there is no democracy and even competitive democracy so that there is vitality and political confrontation,” Xanthopoulos said.
He noted that the invitation of New Democracy to the representative of SYRIZA to greet the congress is of special importance because, as he said, “we serve two opposing schemes and plans that can and do talk. He also said that the distinction between the right and the left is present and those who believe otherwise he invited them to refer to the history books, while he wished New Democracy “a creative and forward-looking congress with confrontations, and with a result, apart from party benefit, for a broader functioning of institutions and society“
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